Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Superhero Treatment

Mexican photographer and a former New York resident Dulce Pinzon casts the Mexican migrant workers of New York City as superheroes -– in costume, at their jobs and within our midst.

Superheroes (2004–ongoing) intends to broaden our collective definition of the term hero, a label often used in American culture, but not always applied to the heroic everyday acts of work and family commitments.

“It is common for a Mexican worker in New York to work extraordinary hours in extreme conditions,” says Pinzon in the project statement. They work “for very low wages which are saved at great cost and sacrifice and sent to families and communities in Mexico who rely on them to survive.” Each portrait is captioned with the worker’s name, hometown in Mexico and the amount of money they send to Mexico each week.